This invention relates to a yarn winding method and apparatus to maintain yarn tension during tail formation on a package formed on a winder from a running length of yarn. The yarn could be monofilament or multifilament, natural or synthetic. A transfer tail is defined in U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,149, hereby incorporated by reference, in toto. Controlling tension during automatic doffing which includes tail formation is an old problem which can be solved in various ways. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,044, hereby incorporated by reference, and the patents listed in the specification and cited therein. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,873.